Need You Now
by Ven Ceinza
Summary: Marth is having troubles accepting the fact he's going to be married soon. He hasn't even chosen a bride yet. On top of all that, he still has an evil dragon to take revenge on. How's that for fun? SheedaxMarth / CaedaxMarth. K because I refuse to put K.
1. Kings And Queens

**Just something I started out of a whim that said, "Please write about Sheeda/CaedaxMark! You must, Cara, you must!" and so I did. Here is what that thought has gotten me to thus far. It's short, but it will get better when the fighting comes into play. I'm guessing this story will either end unfinished or end up being kind of short. Just a fair warning. Don't get too attached.**

**But if you do I would be flattered. :3**

**Disclaimer; No, I do not own Marth. Or Altea. Or Sheeda. Or Talys. Or anything else mentioned in here. But I do own the story itself. Not the characters, but the story. I don't see how that makes sense, but... Whatever. You see what I mean by this.**

One: Kings And Queens.

He looks so beautiful just standing there, staring out upon Altea with those shining blue eyes, full of hope and determination, and his cutely messy dark royal cyan hair blowing slightly to the north with the late-afternoon breeze. I wonder about the pride he must feel having taken back his kingdom. The way he stands there on the balcony, gazing out at the world, knowing that he owns everything as far as the eye can see. How does that feel?

If I step into his line of vision, will he get the hint? How much longer 'til he defeats Medeus and I can return to Talys and do all in my power to ignore my childhood friend—my childhood friend that I held so dear in my heart that it sank at the thought of leaving him. After this whole righteous _fighting-to-bring-everyone-peace _thing was over, I was going to go home and he was going to stay here and rule his land like the just ruler I know he is and will be.

I sigh to myself, turn, and head towards the main room's large double doors that are about six times my height. His castle is so palatial. I imagine mine will be the same as it was when I left it; dark, dull, and decorated by my dad.

Decorated by my dad means absolutely nothing pleasant, bright, colorful, or appealing to anyone but him. It is like we are exact opposites.

I find it unfair how Marth, the Marth I have loved for years and always look out for, only finds _me_ to be his best friend. I should be content with being his best friend; as one of the closest people to him since his family's death, I have done nothing but care for him. What do I get in return?

I get Princess Minerva of Medon looking at him with her possessive red eyes, like she owns him or something. How does that make the least bit of sense?

I grasp the handle on the right edge of the left double door and pull it part-way open. It creaks loudly. I mean _loudly_.

"Sheeda," Marth's voice calls after me. I stop walking and look over my shoulder to make sure I am not imagining it. I am not. He is staring right at me, taking the steps to close the great distance between us with two feet remaining. He was a man of few words, and speaking loudly was not something he was known for- especially for something as simple as catching one's attention.

"Ah, Prince Marth," I greet, acknowledging him with a nod. I only used _Prince_ with him when I was upset. He never really figured that out, though.

He tilts his head in a clueless manner, looking adorable as ever. "_Prince_ Marth? Isn't that a bit formal for your own friend?"

I smile softly and laugh nervously. "I guess you're right. Sorry, Marth. Force of habit, I suppose," I lie.

He blinks twice quickly. "Ah. I see." He nods. "I _do not_, however, see how it can be a force of habit. You always call me Marth. What is so different now?"

"Nothing, Marth," I cover myself and ruffle his hair like a little kid. "Worry not, my friend." I winkeplayfully.

He grins. "So what were you doing here? You were just about to leave without talking to me," he points out. He pouts in a delightfully Marth-like way.

I laugh awkwardly, more awkwardly than before. How do you make an excuse for yourself when you were about to leave your friend's home because you did not want to think about how he was never going to be yours?

You don't.

"Oh, that. Well, I, uh… I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out today, like go into the villages or go down to the river, but, uh, you were standing there looking all lost in thought and I did not wish to disturb you in case you _were _lost in important thoughts that I should not interrupt," I tell him. His eyes tell me he followed every word.

I suppose I told the truth, but it felt so weird to be explaining myself to him. I never was one for trying to explain myself to people or make sense of my actions, not even when it was the simplest of things. Obviously, this is no different. I stammered, I stuttered, I scratched my head. This is an all-time low, even for me.

"Ah!" Marth nods knowingly. His eyes gleam with something between mischievousness, playfulness, and adventure. He beams. "You should have come up to me. I would love to."

_Yes! Score!_ My mind congratulates me, but my heart only speeds up, which is much less than fair. My lips twitch into a grin. I got to spend the day with Marth!

Now that I think about it, why am I so ecstatic about this? It is only Marth- my friend. This should not be making me as happy as it is. Then again, I _do _love him. I love him a lot. Too bad he won't figure it out.

"Great! How about we meet right outside in about an hour? I have to run an errand or two, if it is not too much trouble for you to wait?" I arrange these plans cautiously, professionally, trying so much as to not give away any ulterior motives I may have for wanting his company.

Those beautiful blue eyes shine as he responds. I glance between his eyes and his lips, hoping he doesn't notice. "It is no trouble at all, dear Sheeda. An hour's time it is."

I nod once more before pulling the extrodinary door open all the way and exiting the Altean prince's palace. I close the door behind me and lean against it, exhausted. I close my eyes, bite mylip, and smile. _Ha. How bold, Sheeda; you just flustered yourself in front of your best friend._

I shake my head and start running as I whistle. My elegant white Pegasus, named Anri after the late former king of Altea, descends from the sky and plants his feet lightly on the ground. I leap onto his back, give him a swift kick in the side, and he takes to the sky at top speed, leaving the earth far below.

_About an hour prior from Marth's perspective_

I open the door to the balcony and step out onto the pure white tiles. I take careful steps like the castle under my feet will collapse any moment, but I know better. It is a sturdy castle; it has withstood much. I look out upon Altea, gazing at the glory that has been restored with my return. Though it is my second day home, I feel like everything is already back together. I know it is not, but I would love to think that it is.

I think about how this is all mine, this land. For the rest of my days I am expected to honor it, to take care of it, to assist it in prospering, It is my responsibility. How am I expected to do it all alone? I have no queen. I suppose Elice, if she is alive somewhere, would be my queen consort, so-to-speak. I know Princess Medon-I mean Princess Minerva-has taken a liking to me since she has not threatened me once in the past month. She has not said anything negative about me either, and I see the way that she looks at me when I speak to her—admiration, adoration, and every other "-ation" adjective that is compliment-qualified.

I guess I am disappointed because there is only one princess that it would make sense for me to make my queen. I can easily see spending my days with her, but that… That is far off. I have yet to defeat Medeus and she is my best friend. How strange would it be if I suddenly asked her to be my queen? I think she would be a bit put-off if I did that, but what if that is what it comes down to?

I worry. I could never live with myself if she said no or if I ruined that wonderful friendship that I have with her-with Sheeda. I mean, I know she is quite the woman now. She is strong, attractive, sweet, and smart. She and I have been friends since birth. How could she see me as anything more than her childish childhood friend?

I sigh in self-defeat and rub my forehead with my left hand. _Why does this have to be so difficult? I have all these friends and all of these people who are loyal to me, yet at the end of this, I am still going to be alone. _

After more thoughts like this that entirely destroy my confidence, I stand up straight again and look out at Altea before closing my eyes and shaking my head at myself.

This has to be a new all-time low for me.

**So, this is the start of my SheedaxMarth story. I personally prefer calling her Caeda, but more people refer to her as Sheeda so I might as well bite it and hold in my complaints. Tell me what you think?**

**I don't care if you do or not, I'll still end up posting some more. **

**BEWARE: UPCOMING FLUFF!! XD**

**No, seriously.**

**R/R**


	2. First Time On Wings Like This

**Hahaha chapter has a crappy ending, just a warning. I mean, really crappy. I couldn't think of any other way to end it. Next one MUCH BETTER be it will.**

**Disclaiming This: I don't own Fire Emblem.**

Two: First Time On Wings Like This. 

_An hour's time, _I think. _He should be outside by the time I land_.

I kick Anri's side with my right foot as we approach Castle Altea. "Anri," I say, whistling. He starts to slow down as he lowers his powerful body to the ground. I hold on tight as he picks up speed for the descent. He loves to make things more exciting than they need to be. Wind whips through my hair, stings my face. I hold on tighter in a thrilled manner.

Too soon, Anri's hooves are planted firmly on the ground. He ruffles his wings as if to tell me to get off, but I do not. I look at the doors of Marth's castle. He is waiting patiently, sitting uncharacteristically casually on the steps. "Anri," I whisper, whistling just as quietly. He trots obediently over to Marth, who rises to his feet and takes the remaining steps over to us.

There is a smile on his face, but his eyes say he is troubled. I try not to give away the fact I notice this. Instead I smile back at him and nod. "Marth," I hail.

"Sheeda," he replies.

I extend my hand to him happily. He stares at it, lost. He looks at it, then up at me. I roll my eyes at his obliviousness. "You're supposed to take my hand," I inform him.

"But… Why?" he asks, still not understanding.

Sometimes males are so ridiculously daft. I almost want to smack him upside the head, but I do not and merely nod toward my hand. "Come," I encourage. "You know I don't bite."

His hesitance becomes eagerness as he takes my hand firmly. I pull him up onto Anri's back. Anri takes a few stumbling steps, about to protest the extra weight. After shifting around a little, his body agrees with my orders. Because of the extra weight I just added to his load, Anri needs a much more powerful running start. He starts with an easy trot. Slowly, he speeds up.

I can tell that he is about to push himself into the air, so I warn my royal friend. "You might want to hang on," I yell over the wind.

"Why?" he yells back.

_Idiot_, the voice in my head snorts. "Just trust me!" When he does not comply in three seconds, I reach behind me, grab his arms, and wrap them securely around my waist. "Hang on!"

Anri jumps into the air, large wings struggling at first to manage the new weight, but he finally gets a hang of it and adjusts his wings' movements to keep us airborne. While I am busy making sure Anri is steady, Marth is clinging to me for dear life, arms tight around me. I glance down. Seeing his arms around me makes me smile. I peek over my shoulder sneakily then look back in the important direction—forward.

Having Marth hang on to me feels far more than amazing. It feels right, like he is supposed to be riding with me. I feel alive with the wind running through my hair, tickling my face, and the air feeling thin as we go higher.

I notice Marth's head move from resting on my upper back, as if he is looking out at the world below. "Aren't we a bit high up?" he asks loudly.

"Yes," I answer him with a grin. "We are."

"Don't you think we should be closer to the ground in case something happens?" he asks.

Aw, how cute; he is scared. I chuckle to myself at this thought. I begin to find a logical explanation for being high up. "If we're lower to the ground, any archer or sniper will be able to reach us. If they hit us, we're down. I'm not risking Anri."

"What are you talking about? My father is dead," he reminds me needlessly.

"I know that, Marth. It's this gorgeous flying horses' name," I tell him even though I distinctly remember telling him this before.

He gets quiet. I peer over Anri's wings at everything lower than us. The river is in sight. I scan everything I can see for archers or snipers. Luckily for me, I found none. I swiftly kick Anri's side. He nods his large head and begins a succession to the ground. Marth's tight hold on me begins to relax. I guess he finally started to feel comfortable. I turn my torso around and look at him.

His face looks a bit paler than it usually does and reads _uncomfortable_ all over it. His eyes meet mine. That troubled look they had had is gone now and had been replaced with something more along the lines of fear. Maybe he was nervous?

Oh my gosh. I gap. I smack his shoulder. "Marth, is this your first time on a Pegasus?" I ask him as I am on the verge of laughing.

He gulps. Gulps, but no response comes from him. He averts his eyes.

"Marth!!" I smack his shoulder again. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've found a different way to the river. I didn't know you hadn't done this before."

_Great, now I look like either a protective psycho or a thrill-seeking psycho or just a psycho in general. I am his friend though, so maybe he doesn't think I'm a psycho. Wouldn't it be great if he thought this was cute or something? _

I take a good look at his face that was slowly regaining color. Faster than I expect, but still very slowly does his skin return to its usual color. His eyes are wide, wide and frightened like a puppy. He shifts his arms around me. They feel a little more comfortable as his hands rest firmly on my hips, still trying to hold on. He looks so atypically vulnerable.

I sigh and rub the shoulder I had repeatedly smacked. "Sorry about that. I didn't know. Just hold on a little longer; we'll be on the ground shortly," I comfort him. His horizontal lips curl into an assured smile. I want nothing more than to be able to freely kiss those smiling lips. If there were some way I could claim them as my own, there is no doubt that I would do it as soon as the offer became available.

I stare back out at the landing strip. We are almost back on the ground. I feel Marth sigh, probably with relief. I huffed. I actually do not like the idea of getting back on the ground again, but I suppose if my favorite Altean prince likes it, there is not much I can do about it. I have to make him want me as much as I want him. I take a deep breath and shake my head. _Like that will ever happen_, I remind myself.

Anri's hooves finally touch the earth. As soon as the Pegasus stops moving, Marth leaps from his back and takes steps to a 'safe' distance from the flying horse. I roll my eyes.

"Really, Marth; there is nothing to fear about him. He's a good boy," I state to my pansy prince. "I would not have named him in the honor of your father otherwise. You know I had respect for him."

Marth's eyes droop, as if reminiscing of his father. His face is suddenly stricken with sadness. I feel so guilty for putting that look on his handsome face. I certainly am not going to be achieving my number-one goal today, I can tell that right now. The way his face is sinking, his eyes going out of focus, his shoulders slumping… This behavior is so unlike the way he usually is—proud, smiling, protective, and strong. This was so hopeless, sad, defenseless, and weak

"Oh, Marth," I say, regretting talking about his late father. "I'm-"

"It's alright, Sheeda," he replies unconvincingly. He scratches his head. I noticed the light in his eyes change from shining off tears to showing off his cluelessness. "I am sure if he were here, he would be honored that a Pegasus so noble, rode by a princess he knew personally, was graced with his name."

Why does he always have to make things sound so formal? I know he is not happy; I just reminded him that his father is dead and gone and that he has revenge to take upon the evil lord that killed him. What a _fantastic_ way to start an afternoon.

I dismount Anri and rub his neck, letting him know it is okay to relax. I hushed him then began talking to Marth. "Thank you, Marth. I… I am flattered," I admit, trying to hide the blush creeping evilly across my cheeks. Like I want him to know that I love him so? I do not. Not yet, anyway; now is not the time. There is so much that first needs to be handled.

I stare at Marth's face for a few very long seconds and meet his eyes. They are shimmering, glossy, and more fantastic than anything I have seen in a long time. I am drawn to them by gravity as I take a few careful steps closer to him. Suddenly, his hand is waving in front of my face.

"Sheeda, are you alright?" he asks, seeming concerned.

I snap out of my trance with an electric jolt—his hand on my cheek. His touch is cold, but at the same time it tingles with warmth. "Ah," my face feels hot! "Sorry. Yes, I am alright, thanks. Shall we get to enjoying this wonderful day?" I suggest, feeling it is about time that the subject changes.

Marth smiles.

My heart leaps.

All is well.


	3. A Day To Remember

**I like this story right now. I really do. The only problem is I have a difficult time focusing when I write it. Actually, I always have focus issues. I swear I have ADD or something. If I did, though, I wouldn't have been able to write any of this in an organized way at all. THAT would suck. **

**So here's the deal, I'll keep working on this to be nice, but if I lose the spark, don't blame me. Blame school. Because its school's fault for everything.**

**Just a notice: Cara does not own Fire Embelm.**

Three: A Day To Remember.

Marth is lying under this large, flourishing tree. Pink flowers blossom all over it and when they flutter gently to the earth, the color contrasts Marth's hair, eyes, and clothing. He looks so peaceful sitting there, like all of his worldly cares do not matter. He seems so serene for a change, almost as if he accepts this moment as nothingness—pure, blissful, nothingness.

I uncurl my legs from under me and stretch them out. I cross the right over the left and lean my back against Anri, who is too busy sleeping to complain. His large almond-shaped eyes stay closed. I keep my gaze straight ahead so I can take in the scenery as well as Marth.

They're both so dazzling; I don't know which to look at.

Marth's voice breaks the comfortable quiet where all that was audible were sounds of nature- wind blowing through the lovely trees, grass dancing in with them, birds chirping contently, the river rolling endlessly…

"It's such a gorgeous day," Marth notes dreamily.

I smile softly in his direction. "Yes," I agree. "It is."

"Sheeda, why don't you sit next to me?" he recommends, patting the ground beside him.

I beam. _Ha! Yes! _In my head, I am dancing around happily. _I'm sitting next to Marth. __**Nothing **__can ruin this day! _I crawl the ten feet from Anri to Marth and the pretty pink tree. I sit next to him, looking down at his smile as I lean myself against the tree. I think about how much I want to touch him—to play with his now-dirtying hair. I sigh deeply, gently take his head, and rest it in my lap so he has a pillow. I reach over him and pull his torso closer to me so he does not look so awkward and uncomfortable.

"Sheeda?" he muses.

"Mhm?" I acknowledge. I subconsciously take one of my hands and twirl his hair between my fingers.

"Do you mind if I rant for a while?" he asks.

For some reason I laugh at the thought of Marth going on a tangent, even though I have the strangest feeling he was serious. It's just so funny! He's always so quietly content with everything.

"It's about Medeus," he begins. I now know he is serious. "Well, not Medeus, but what's going to happen after he's been slain."

I don't want to hear him talk about this- not at all. I cannot let down my best friend though, no matter how crazy it drives me and how upset I get. The thought of disappointing him makes me hate myself. I always have to be all I can to please him. That's the way it should be. That's the way it is.

"I'm conflicted," he admits, taking a deep breath. _Oh geez, here it comes. _"I'm having issues coming to terms with marriage," he says uneasily.

I stiffen.

I know it is my job as a best friend, but this is almost too much. This is _not_ what I want to hear about. I have been caught in my own issues pertaining to marriage… Despite my inner protest, I ask him to continue. I might as well torture myself by listening to him talk about this to me.

"Altea is going to need a queen soon. I've thought long and hard about it, too. I have come up with a few solutions to my cold feet and conflict avoidance."

"Go on," I encourage.

He sighs deeply and bends one knee slightly like it makes him more comfortable. "First idea- I don't get married and Elice becomes my consort." He stretches one of his arms out across my legs. I blush. "Second idea- I get married."

I snort. "Obviously you could get married, but to whom?" I question.

_Oh gosh, this is going to be awful. Why did I just say that? I do not want to hear him talk about marrying other girls. I hate this. Why. In the world did I do this? I should crawl into a hole and die. _

A plan hits me.

_That's it…_ I tell myself with a smug smile.

His eyes are still closed, but his face is turning this adorable shade of red that I am sure he cannot help. "Princess Minerva is quite the woman," he says.

"Yeah, if you want to look like a wimp," I tell him.

He opens one eye. "What?"

"Marth, she's far more masculine than you. I know most people are, but she's a real long-shot." I push his bangs out of his face.

"I take offense to that." He pouts, opening his other eye. His icy eyes are inviting mine to just stare into their depths. I try to keep my gaze away, but I fail. My eyes meet his and I am lost. His eyes seem to widen. I mindlessly continue messing with his hair lightly, enjoying every second of it. I am clearly dazed, judging by the fact Marth has not said anything; he probably does not feel like embarrassing me since he _knows_ how easily embarrassed I can be. He blinks once, then repeatedly.

"Sorry," I emptily apologize for the comment I made what feels like an hour ago.

Suddenly the world snaps back to normal speed. I regain focus. Marth begins talking again.

_It was fun while it lasted. _I sigh sadly.

"I realize she is a very strong woman," Marth says.

"Also realize she has her own kingdom to account for that she barely wants to call her own," I remind him. How hard could it be to pop holes in all his options? Not that hard, since I doubt he has that many options.

Marth nods in agreement. "I know that, as well." He sighs almost sadly. "This is definitely going to be a lot more difficult than I previously anticipated."

I rub his shoulder closest to my stomach to ease some of his fears. "Now, now, Marth; I am sure you are just being paranoid. Who else were you considering?"

I am so evil.

"I do not know why, but I have always had a strange affiliation for Pegasus Knights or Dracoknights." I raise an eyebrow at this- so there _was _something he had not told me. He liked riders, then? I'll show him a Knight. Does he even know where this affiliation actually comes from?

My theory is that it comes from me- his best friend that rides a _Pegasus_. Why should I not expect he gets it from me? It makes enough sense. He only sees me almost every day of his life. The boy can be so clueless that it is not even funny sometimes. Really, right now I am ashamed to be his friend. Why must he do this to me?

"There is something about a woman that rides a flying creature that absolutely astounds me. I know I am not that good with being in the air, but watching a woman do it is something that I enjoy. The grace… The beauty… The pure enjoyment she gets from being in the air? That is all admirable for me." He closes his eyes, and I can tell he is actually starting to really see it in his head. "The way she opens her arms as she flies freely through the sky. Nothing holds her back. She belongs to no one. She is amazing. I think if I ever got to witness that, I would fall far more than in love."

I gasp. Fall in love? If he saw this scene he envisions, he thinks he would fall in love. I want to take him up on this offer more than anything. To have Marth fall in love with me would be the best thing that I could ever hope to happen. I do not know how, but I will make sure he sees the scene of his dreams. He is practically handing me this opportunity on a silver platter. If one expected me to turn this down, that one would be sadly mistaken.

"That sounds wonderful. You really are a dreamer, aren't you Marth?" I say, knowing that his answer will not be yes or no, but something far more complicated. He can never make things as simple as they could be.

"If you want to say that, I suppose you could. I would not necessarily say I am a dreamer, just a lover of all things beautiful." Like I said he was too complex, he proves my point. "Is it too much to ask for too much?" he asks.

I tilt my head. "Yes, actually, it is."

He sighs. "You know what I mean."

"I do, but that doesn't mean it isn't too much to ask for too much."

"Can we please get back to the original subject?" he requests grumpily.

Oops- I forgot that completely. I smile sheepishly even though I know he cannot see it. "Sorry. Please continue," I say, holding back a self-disappointment laugh.

"As I was saying, I have always had an affiliation for Dracoknights or Pegasus Knights. So all the girls I have thought about ride dragons or Pegasus." My heart is in my throat. _Oh gosh. What if he _has _considered me? What will I say? What will I do? Ah! _"I thought about Catria since she recently traded her horse for a dragon. I thought about Palla because I must admit, she is quite fetching. Then I thought about Est, but everyone knows she has this affection for Abel. Finally," he takes a breath. Then he groans.

"What is it?" I check up on him protectively. If he starts to say something that upsets him, I do not want him to say it. I just get so protective over him and find it silly that he never notices it. It's like the light bulb never goes off in his head.

"I thought about you."

**Yeah. That's right. I'm not letting you see the rest of the conversation until the next chapter! HA! Be mad. Be very mad. But don't worry, it should be worth the wait.**

**Should be... Heh heh hehhh. By the way, I'm introducing my partner in crime commentator next chapter. It's going to be weird, so be ready. Be patient, my children. It'll all be over soon. xxx**


	4. To What I Owe

**So, yeah. Chapter four. I decided that this is going to end on chapter five because I suck and do not want to keep this going; I want to work on my Super Smash Brothers story, and at the same time I think I should be working on Slave to my Sword, but I'll probably finish those stories up and write more stories in my new, better, and more professional. I need to show more of my personal style. This will end soon, so don't worry. I... Uh... Yeah. Chapter four.**

**Review if you waaaant...**

**Please?**

Four: To What I Owe.

"I thought about you."

My heart is pounding like all hell broke loose. What did he consider? What did he think about me when he thought about me? I have to know! I feel so nervous. Oh dear god, what if he only thought bad things? What if he did not actually think and is just saying this to get my hopes up and get a reaction out of me?!

Okay, Sheeda. Calm down. You are getting way out of hand. Take deep breaths. _Inhale. Exhale._

I finally calm myself down and look back down at Marth. He is returning my look with a queer one- one eyebrow raised and confusion written all over him. "Don't ask," I mutter, patting his chest. "Please, feel free to continue." I almost choke on my words as they come out.

"I doubt I want to. Are you alright, Sheeda?" he asks, propping himself up with one arm. Now he is at eye-level. That's just great. Now I have the immensely pleasurable honor of seeing his face close up since he was not a far distance from me when he was in my lap.

Looking into his eyes, I see the little kid I used to play in this area with. We used to run around, chasing each other from tree to tree, tackling each other to the ground, climbing whatever we felt like with the world at our feet. I see the young boy who could never find his way back here unless I was there to guide him. He never did have the best sense of direction.

I see the teenager that mischievously began sneaking away to come to this place with me since his parents had come up with this crazy idea that he and I were off doing things we shouldn't be. He and I came here night after night to stare up at the stars, to bask in the sunset's warmth, to train, to relax, to everything. This place, with this large, pink-blossomed tree, means near everything to me. Maybe it's because when it finally sinks in, and I finally see whose eyes I am staring into, that _that _is when I see the real Marth.

I see the adult with a year until he is no longer the sly teenager. He is going to be a real man soon, and I do not want to miss it. When I see these eyes, these eyes of my oldest friend, I see the eyes of a hero. I see the eyes of a hero and my thoughts vanish. Everything on my mind disappears.

As I sit here staring into Marth's eyes with him staring back, I feel the tears spill from my eyes down my cheeks.

I have no idea _why_ I start crying, but the point is that I do.

Looking at him, I start to think about my future as Talys' queen. Someday, an inevitable day, it will be mine. I will not be near Marth as much as I like. It will be like leaving something you cherish behind when you move away. What if I do not even make it out of this trial of battles? What if I do not make it to tomorrow? What if… what if I just do not make it?

This settles it. I have to make this happen. I cannot go through life constantly regretting never making Marth mine.

"Sheeda, I…" I cut him off.

It just sort of came over me. I didn't _mean _to kiss him, but that just kind of happened anyway involuntarily. I didn't full-on try to be forward and make out with him or something like that because sweetly and lightly say more than being a whore. Once I think he gets the idea, I pull back. His cheeks are coated with a pink blush that matches the flowers all over the ground.

I smile sheepishly and burst in to laughter. "Sorry!" I yelp. "That," I start. I try to talk in between laughs, but it does not exactly go so well. "That was entirely uncalled for. I am so sorry. I don't know what just happened to me."

What I do know is that it makes me very happy. What I would not give to have that feeling again. Kissing him was sort of weird because at first it felt like kissing a girl since he is so feminine, but after a brief two moments of awkward, it felt really nice. Maybe it even felt _right_. Me? I do not know. I had my fun, and I suppose that since I am back in reality I have the pleasure of knowing it's over. What I think makes it worse is the fact that he found this all awkward. It would make things so much better if I had not just made an idiot of myself.

Marth's blush finally starts fading, but he still looks a bit flustered. I push my bangs back and laugh some more. "Well, that was fun," I say.

Marth nods. In agreement, possibly, but I cannot be too sure with how heavy his blush just was. He nods again like he did not just already do that. "Marth," I rub his shoulder comfortingly, trying not to let myself keep laughing. He does not respond. His eyes are somewhat glassy. "Marth," I say, waving my hand in front of his face.

Still no response comes from him. What was with this guy? Did I do something wrong? _Other than just leap on him and kiss him, Sheeda, no. You did absolutely nothing wrong._

_Of course you did something wrong you dumb bluenette! You can be so dim sometimes I swear if your hair weren't attached to your head it would all run away from your stupid!_

_Hey,_ I respond to my thoughts. _That's just cold._

_Can you blame me? You suck!_

Shut up, thoughts, shut up!

_How about no?_

I start ignoring my thoughts and focusing on Marth and why he was not responding. This bothers me so, how he says nothing. I feel so uncomfortable right now; more than I have in forever. For one thing I know for a fact I should not have kissed him. That was my mistake. For another thing, I probably just traumatized him for crying out loud. I doubt he ever kissed a girl before in his life.

He is pretty, but almost a little too feminine.

It would explain why I spend more time around him than other girls do. Other girls would probably try to dress him up and make him play tea-party like I used to when we were four.

Hello, we were _four_. I am talking about other girls my age picking on his femininity. There is something seriously messed up about that.

"Marth," I sigh, once again failing to get his full attention. "Come on, buddy, we're going home," I tell him. I sigh even more deeply.

He finally shows a sign of life and rises to his feet unsteadily. As soon as he is up, he begins to tip over. I gasp and grab his shoulders to keep him from falling. He is so out of it! I knew I never should have done anything. Now he is just a vegetable; a stupid, cold, vegetable. I drag him over to Anri, who has finally awoken. He stands when he sees me dragging my semi-conscious friend. He whinnies.

"You don't want to know, Anri," I grumble as I hoist Marth up onto the Pegasus' back. I leap on behind him because if I do not, chances are that he will fall off mid-air, fly to the ground, and die. I do not need Marth dying. I give Anri a gentle kick in the side and he takes off.

This time, I do not think about the wind running through my hair, or how good it feels to fly; I am too preoccupied with the fact I just ruined everything for myself unintentionally. Why do I do this?

_Because_, the mental-me says, _you decided to have hope and it got crushed._

_Tell me about it._


End file.
